CFPB Considers Refinancing Private Educational Loans; Study Asks If Online Courses Widen Acheivement

CFPB Considers Refinancing Options For Private Student Loans. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced last Thursday it will look into refinancing options for private student loans, which represent about $150 billion of the overall $1 trillion accumulated student loan debt nationally. The consumer watchdog agency is requesting input on what might make private student loan repayments more manageable and how to better assist distressed borrowers. If you’d like to share your story, email studentloanaffordabilit@cfpb.gov [Consumer Finance Protection Bureau]

White House Announces New Policy Increasing Access To Research. The Obama administration announced last Friday a major new policy that aimed at increasing public access to federal financed research. In a memo released by John P. Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, directed agencies to develop "clear and coordinated policies" to make the results of research they support publicly available within a year of publication. Affected agencies have six months to decide how to carry out the policy. [Chronicle of Higher Education]

Online Courses Could Widen Achievement Gaps Among Students. In a working paper, Columbia University’s Community College Research Center suggested low-cost online courses could widen achievement gaps among students in different demographic groups. The study found that all students who take more online courses, no matter the demographic, are less likely to attain a degree. However, some groups—including black students, male students, younger students, and students with lower grade-point averages—who struggle in traditional classrooms are finding their troubles exacerbated in online courses. [Community College Research Center]

Accreditation Panel Recommends Probation For University of Phoenix. A team of accreditors reviewing the University of Phoenix, a for-profit college, could jeopardize the reputation of the school and its ability to collect federal student aid dollars crucial to the school’s bottom line. The probation recommendation showed that university accreditors are toughening reviews of for-profit colleges, whose enrollment growth during the Great Recession was explosive as millions sought to improve their competitiveness in the job market with college degrees. [The Huffington Post]

James King is an Online Communications Intern with Campus Progress. You can follow him on Twitter at @jamesmuratking

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